Andrew Liszewski

Even though they're recyclable, glass bottles are energy intensive to produce, and heavy and expensive to ship. So an inventor has created a cheaper, greener alternative with a paper-based bottle that will probably have sommeliers turning their noses up at it.

The first question that I'm sure immediately comes to everyone's mind is how a paper bottle full of wine doesn't just turn to mush moments after being filled. And the simple answer is by using the same system as wine sold by the carton—a sealed foil bladder on the inside. The bottle's inventor, Martin Myerscough, has already created a paper-based milk bottle (different to cartons) that's seen commercial success, so he figured the same idea could work just as well with wine.

While it looks a little rough on the outside, a challenge Martin will have to overcome when it comes to selling it to the consumer, the paper bottle weighs just 50 grams compared to the 500 grams of a glass bottle. It also has just ten percent of the carbon footprint of glass, so it's cheaper to make and recycle. The paper bottles are even the exact same size as the glass bottles they hope to replace, so they can be easily integrated into existing production lines and transportation systems. These advantages certainly make the paper bottles enticing to wine producers, and I'm sure they'll catch on with the public once everyone realizes they're not actually piñatas for grown-ups. [Design Week via Coudal]